For example, a copying machine is provided with a paper feeding apparatus for feeding paper onto which an image on a document is transferred. There has been a great demand for paper feeding apparatuses that are capable of supplying paper of various sizes according to the sizes of documents to be copied and in response to requests for enlarged and reduced copies. The following are some examples of such paper feeding apparatuses. A paper feeding apparatus disclosed in a Japanese Publication for Unexamined Patent Application, No. 2-295826/1990 has paper cassettes which are disposed over a plurality of stages and capable of switching the position of paper between lengthways and sideways. An apparatus illustrated in FIGS. 53 and 54 is provided with a turntable 51 on which a plurality of paper trays 54 for storing paper 53 are formed by paper guides 52. By rotating the turntable 51 the paper 53 is supplied to the main body of the copying machine from the respective paper trays 54. In the case of an apparatus shown in FIGS. 55 to 57, a plurality of box-shaped paper cassettes 62 are mounted around a rotatable supporting rod 61. In this copying machine, it is arranged that any of the paper cassettes 62 can be selectively placed in front of the paper feeding opening 64 of the main body 63 by rotating the supporting rod 61.
With the configuration of the above-mentioned application, No. 2-295826/1990, paper feeding modes are freely switched between lengthways feeding and sideways feeding. However, since the paper feeding cassettes are disposed over the plurality of stages to feed paper of various sizes, the size of the apparatus is increased. As for the paper feeding apparatus shown in FIGS. 53 and 54, it is unable to switch paper feeding modes freely between lengthways feeding and sideways feeding. Therefore, in order to feed paper of various sizes in both lengthways and sideways, a number of the paper trays 54 must be provided. This also results in an increase in the size of the apparatus. Similarly, the paper feeding apparatus shown in FIGS. 55 to 57 is unable to switch paper feeding modes freely between lengthways feeding and sideways feeding. Additionally, with the configuration of this apparatus, since the paper cassettes 62 are attached to the supporting rod 61 such that the direction of feeding paper is parallel to the axial direction of the supporting rod 61, it is difficult to reduce the height of the apparatus, thereby resulting in a large-sized apparatus.